Fillers v Facelifts – are Jabs the Answer?

These days, there are more options than ever for looking younger. In our mothers’ and grandmothers’ day, there were few options other than facelifts. Facelifts are still around, of course, but fillers are jockeying for attention and, in some cases, are preferable to facelifts.

With many people dreading the rather drastic (not to mention expensive) surgical procedure known as a facelift, “jabs” seem to be the answer. But are they? Here are some things to think about and consider about fillers and facelifts.

Just What is a Facelift?
There is actually quite an array of facelift techniques. Generally speaking, a traditional facelift involves a downward cut at the hairline in front of the ear, then under the ear and back up, ending in the hairline right behind the ear. This is just one technique; in ther face lift types, the surgeon makes incisions along the cheeks and jaw line. The point remains generally the same, though: to tighten and pull the skin (and, in recent years, some of the underlying tissue).

Just What is a Filler?
Sometimes called a “liquid facelift,” fillers literally fill in the crease made by a wrinkle. Various substances can be used, but the process is the same: a liquid is injected around a crease or wrinkle in the skin, making it seem to disappear. Fillers are quick and mostly painless, and the effect can last up to a year.

Fillers can also be used to plump lips and fill in sagging, hollow cheeks and hollow eyes.

Fillers Are Not Without Risks
Just about no surgery is without risks, even quick and superficial procedures like fillers. There’s the possibility of allergic reactions to the substance that’s injected. In addition, small bumps may form under the skin at the site of injection – and those bumps may be permanent.

Redness and swelling may also occur, and even bruising at the injection site. In addition, the effects of facial fillers are not permanent. You have to go back in periodically – from months to a year – to have the procedure done again.

What Are Fillers Made Of?
Hyaluronic acid and derivatives of it are considered by many to be the least risky of the fillers (though no filler is completely risk-free). Hyaluronic acid is closest to the body’s natural facial “filler.” Collagen is another filler that’s animal-based; people manufacture collagen in the body, but the kind used in fillers is of bovine origin.

Other fillers include calcium hydroxyapatite and synthetic polylactic acid.

Are jabs the answer? It all depends on the question you’re asking! For many people, fillers provide a quick and easy “fix” for an aging face.